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Special Interview
for the 30th Anniversary of NEPENTHES

Keizo Shimizu and Daiki Suzuki,
the 30 years of journey

 

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What kind of impression do you have after NEPENTHES passed its 30th anniversary?
( KS / KEIZO SHIMIZU, DS / DAIKI SUZUKI )

KS: I think NEPENTHES has got closer to what I initially wanted to achieve.

DS: I feel more like so many unexpected events have happened so far. I do feel old (laughs). Though it seems like a heartbeat ago, 30 years are quite a long period of time. I cannot believe how much things have changed in 30 years. I could never imagine how my company and myself would look today at the beginning. In a way, I kind of feel lucky because everything has turned out as it is now.

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When did you meet each other?

DS: It was in 1982, when I was 20. I got a part-time job at a company where Shimizu was working. Because I seldom went to school then, I worked there 5 - 6 days a week. He looked really scary at first (laughs). We had a drinking party on my first day at my new job and I met Shimizu there for the first time. I don’t remember what we talked, but can recall that he asked me who I was in a not so polite way (laughs). Shimizu didn’t wear glasses around that time and his hair was long.

How was your impression of Daiki at that time?

KS: I think I was around 24 then. He looked so skinny to me (laughs). But I knew what kind of clothes he was wearing, so I thought the newbie was a little different from other people. Most of the people around me were entirely dressed in imported clothes at that time.

DS: I used to wear homme clothes that could be look like ordinary chinos or a button-down shirt. Most of my clothes were from COMME des GARÇONS then although those might not look so.

What made you to start your own business while being employed?

KS: From a pretty early stage, I had been thinking of going independent at least at the age of 30. The company let me manage a branch store after a while since I joined them, and the experience gave me an opportunity to learn store management, making my goals more visible. I Fwas thinking that I would carry not only American clothes but also ones from Europe if I could run my own business.

Did you know all along that Shimizu would go independent?

DS: I definitely knew it because he told me about it before. I actually asked him to let me join his business although it would have depended on timing. It was kind of a joke, but I told him that I was ready to move to the U.S. if he really needed me to do so.

And it came true in 1989, seven years since you met each other. As Shimizu settled in Japan while Daiki moved to America, the brand’s operating system became as it is today. How did you work together in the early days?

DS: I was living in an apartment in Boston, so phone and fax were the means of communication between us then.

KS: Through experiences from my previous job, I already had expert knowledge on clothes, like I should visit Minnesota for engineer boots and Texas for cowboy boots. There was no Internet, so we had to travel to such places together and then search local Yellow Pages for possible business opportunities, while scouring for products we were looking for based on information from local thrift stores.

Daiki then moved to New York from Boston. Why was that?

DS: I had built sustainable business relationships with various brands during my days in Boston, but such brands only had sales reps in suburban cities. Because those reps had just a few clothing samples, I eventually had to visit the brands’ show rooms in New York to see the entire collections. So, I thought moving to New York would be more efficient.

KS: At that time, there were buildings and exhibition spaces in the U.S. in which various fashion brands had their show rooms. Those places served as indefinite trade shows. In New York, they had such a space in the Empire State Building. But only few Japanese buyers visited those places back then.

And what was the reason you moved to San Francisco after that?

DS: I moved there when I was 31. Actually, San Francisco was the place I had always wanted to live. Because I had got a wealth of knowledge on our business, I thought I might be able to do it in San Francisco. Most of the major brands we carried back then such as MMSW, THINK TANK and JOHNSON LEATHER, were also based in San Francisco. That was definitely a big reason of my move, too. I had an office-cum-store place there.

KS: We first learned about those brands mostly at local stores. And from their circle of acquaintances, we got information on a brand called ONE BY TWO that later ran a store in partnership with us.

DS: The store did carry NEPENTHES clothes, but wasn’t quite NEPENTHES as a whole. Because the store was jointly operated, we struggled to express our brand’s identity. And after that, our desire to have our own store got stronger.

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Was that the reason you returned to New York to open the brand’s own store?

DS: After a discussion, Shimizu and I reached a conclusion that we’d be better off opening a store in New York. We then launched our own outlet on Sullivan Street in Soho, placing our office behind it. Soho was still a cool place back in those days, but we didn’t aware of how different each avenue in the place was (laughs). Back then, we made every mistake we could have possibly made (laughs), although I think it was partly because nobody knew about us and we couldn’t go with the tide. But I believe that our current store has been doing well because of the lessons learned from those mistakes.

After closing the previous store, EG has made massive growth in New York. How do you feel when looking back on those days?

DS: If I saw someone wearing our clothes on the street around the time we started the brand, I would run after him to shake hands (laughs). We started the brand with a few clothes to showcase at an exhibition for buyers. Then the number of the items in our collection gradually increased and, finally we built a full-fledged collection to hold a solo exhibition. That’s how we started.

KS: As the production quality of the brand got improved, EG became a stable brand. We therefore decided to exhibit the brand’s collection at Collective, a tradeshow held in New York, and then Pitti Immagine Uomo in Italy. There we won attention from international customers. I think the style of our clothes were also aligned perfectly with the market’s trend at that time. In my opinion, EG played a crucial role in helping the American classic style become fashionable.

I’ve heard that even Daiki himself had never imagined that EG would be a brand.

DS: Though we designed our own products before that as a part of exclusively ordered items, I didn’t think that we could run our business only with our own products. At the beginning, I thought that our own clothes should account for 10% of the products we carried in our store. But now, all the things in our store are made under our brand name. That is very surprising, even for me.

Then you started to gain much attention as a designer who always have to think about your next collection.

DS: All I did was doing what I had to do hard. It was fun. I did it while thinking that such a thing would really happen. When I was young, there was no chance to try a thing even though I really wanted to do it. But around that time, I just enjoyed opportunities to do various things. I tried all of those. I guess I simply released all of my bottled-up desires. It was scary to do so, but fun at the same time. I wasn’t sure if it was really possible for me, but I had to do it anyway. I felt really overwhelmed when I designed for WOOLRICH WOOLEN MILLS. If my design for our own brand failed, I would just say “Well, we tried in vain” (laughs), but I cannot do that if the design were for other company.

KS: I cannot accept that (laughs).

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And then you made another try and opened your current New York store in 2010. What did you originally want the store to be like?

DS: I wanted to make it the best store in New York, and still believe it is possible. Being best in the city means being best in the world. I always tell our staff that we still have a long way to go, but there are things we can do for that. Our own unique style is essential to realize our aim. We need to have ideas to create such a style, I think.

KS: Because EG was growing in popularity, I thought our second New York store would go well. The business has been increasing every year, so I look forward to seeing the future of the store.

Along with EG, NEEDLES has received a lot of global attention these days, with more and more show biz people such as R"B musicians showing their preferences on the brand. How do you see the brand’s current situation?

KS: In the past, our clothes became popular after we showcased them at exhibitions and then carried in our stores. So, the way our reputation gets around now seems completely different. Because I’ve always focused on those musicians, however, it’s no wonder that they like NEEDLES. I kind of knew that R&B and Hip-hop musicians would understand what I do. The way people like Jazz musicians wear clothes has always attracted me. I find it cool.

DS: I feel like the world finally catches up with what Shimizu has been doing (laughs). Really, I do think that now people begin to understand NEEDLES. What I do is straightforward and nicey-nice, but Shimizu does the complete opposite. It’s punky. I cannot explain well, but it does look cool. I knew this would have to happen one day.

KS: Actually, I’m always aware that I should design clothes with foresight. My perspective on creating things hasn’t been changed so much since the beginning. I’m still designing our staple items, including our track pants. I’ve made them for about fifteen years. Though it becomes popular these days, I originally designed it as an item that represents the style of NEEDLES.

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SOUTH2 WEST8, on the other hand, has altered its direction, breaking into a new field of fashion as a brand based on the idea of Tenkara fly fishing.

DS: Although I also loved the brand’s initial L.L.Bean-like direction, focusing entirely on the concept of “FISH AND BIKE” has led to a good result. While the concept is in tune with the current trends, the collection itself has also been improving.

KS: When I decided to take up my favorite activity, mountain stream fishing, as the theme, I tried to figure out ways to make it more sophisticated yet enjoyable. Then the idea of Tenkara fly fishing and the concept of “FISH AND BIKE” came to my mind. The clothes I design for the brand have to provide full-fledged functionality for actual use, but, as a fashion professional, I wanted to make them look cool at the same time. It is crucial to balance those. I love both clothes and fishing. Yes, I make my living on what I love to do (laughs).

In the course of 30 years, EG, NEEDLES and SOUTH2 WEST8 have established their own positions as unique original brands that represent NEPENTHES. Now, how do you see all the changes those brands have made so far?

DS: At the beginning, we focused on introducing products we imported from other countries to Japanese customers. Though I still am kind of trying to do the same thing (laughs), I originally started it because there was no choice. Once I began, however, it went unexpectedly well and then I became unable to make time to do other things. That’s how it went. I didn’t intend to do it, but didn’t refuse to do it either. Because things altered quite naturally, I didn’t realize such changes of our situation when I was actually facing those. So, it was like I suddenly found those things greatly altered.

KS: It’s like, we mainly carry imported products at our stores, while making things we cannot find abroad by ourselves. Because I want to produce our own products overseas as much as possible, I’d like to maintain the ratio of products made abroad as it is now. I think the ratio is now almost half and half. With our new London store scheduled to be opened next year, we are planning to express the philosophy of NEPENTHES through both our brands and our stores.

What made you to open the London store? What is the concept?

KS: As the number of European retailers that carry our products increases, our position as a fashion brand is gradually established in the area. I then thought that our 30th anniversary would be the best time to implement my idea to open a store in London. In simple words, the London outlet will be a mixture of all other NEPENTHES stores. We’ll open it on an old shopping street in Euston. I’m planning to add some Japanese elements to the traditional English interior, while leaving the original exterior decorations. Clothes from all the NEPENTHES brands will be mixed and showcased at the store. You’ll love it.

DS: This project is going to be fantastic. Though it had to be started from New York, when it comes to our next destination, it’s definitely going to be London. Such mobility is one of the advantages of NEPENTHES, I think. Shimizu is a fun-loving man who dares to try things only few people do. I love that he always takes up those things ahead of the times.

Finally, please let us know what you personally want to do at the 30th anniversary of NEPENTHES.

DS: I’d like to visit places I’ve never been before. Korea, Hong Kong and Taipei, for example, because I have never visited Asian countries at all. I also want to go to Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. I realized how great Kyoto is only after I visited there by chance. I’m also interested in traveling to local cities in Japan. There are so many such places I’ve never been to. Actually, I’m a person who loves traveling and wondering around unknown places. I could visit a lot of places when we often made buying trips, but currently I seldom have opportunities. Traveling occasionally makes my mind active.

KS: I’ve got to watch the Tokyo Olympics (laughs)! Well, that was just a joke, but I have come this far by doing what I wanted to do. So, if I find other things I want to do, I’ll do my best to do it. I personally want to place more value on Hokkaido as my own base, and am also eager to travel around Japan. I’ve visited so many foreign cities for business, but didn’t have many chances to go to local cities in Japan. Such cities didn’t attract me so much when I was young, but I think my impression of those places may have been changed as I get older. Maybe it’s partly because I love to travel.

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Lastly, please give a message to our readers.

KS: Thank you very much for always supporting us. Though NEPNTHES marked its 30th anniversary, we will carry on our business in “Conservatively flashy way” just as we’ve been doing in the past. We do appreciate for your continued support and encouragement.

DS: The 30 years seem to have gone by in a flash, but when I look back, we have actually experienced a lot of trial and error over a long period of time. Now, after 30 years, I’m keenly aware that we couldn’t have made it without our customers who have got interested in and supported us since the time we had no experience at all. Refusing to cater to trends, NEPENTHES will remain unchanged yet uniquely improved. Look forward to it.

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Engineered Garments – History, Philosophy, and Iconic Products

Aug 2, 2018 | Brand Profiles | by James Smith 

 

Engineered Garments may be based in New York, but the brands history is synonymous with prolific Japanese designer, Daiki Suzuki. An in-house brand of the Japanese company, Nepenthes, Engineered Garments has been going solid for over fifteen years, producing clothing driven by Suzuki’s passion for American clothing.

We’re taking a moment to take a closer look into Engineered Garments and just how the brand came to hold the Nepenthes umbrella so firmly.

 

Brand History

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Engineered Garments was officially founded in 2002 by Daiki Suzuki. Born in 1962 in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, Suzuki spent most of his early life relishing in outdoor activities such as fishing, cycling, and playing baseball. Cycling became a sustained interest for Suzuki and buying countless parts and tools saw him form a close relationship with the owner of his local bike shop. Suzuki would work part-time in the store over the summer, his passion for cycling growing stronger with each bike he assembled.

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Suzuki dreamt of being a professional cyclist and yearned to join a high school with a cycling club but he was ushered into a prestigious local school by his parents to focus solely on his academic studies.

Suzuki’s interest soon turned to fashion after reading the first editions of Made In U.S.A. Catalog (1975) and the now-prestigious POPEYE magazine (1976). These publications featured seemingly endless pages of American clothing and culture, and the features on western outdoor culture and style resonated with Suzuki’s childhood memories. Suzuki became so obsessed with American outdoor fashion that he joined a local mountaineering club, only to find he couldn’t wear his own clothes. Speaking to Hideki Goya for Nepenthes, Suzuki jokes “Actually I had to carry an old filthy Brown Duck backpack which weighed like an elephant. I looked like a war veteran with the gear and it was not what I wanted (laugh).”

 

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Suzuki continued work at the local cycling store on a part time basis, but began spending his wages on clothing rather than bicycles. He recalls buying his first items of fashion clothing from VAN JACKET – a highly influential Japanese brand credited with fueling Japan’s love of Ivy League style – and J. Press, an American label with strong Ivy League heritage. Suzuki joined a group of friends who all shared an interest in American fashion, and before long Suzuki was dabbling in work of Japanese designers like Junya Watanabe and purchasing rare and unique items from Tokyo via mail order.

His foray into the world of American fashion had left a young Daiki Suzuki with the dream of being a fashion designer. By 1980, Suzuki had graduated high school and travelled to Saitama Prefecture to attend university. Contrary to his expectations, the Saitama campus was in a provincial location with no sign of any fellow fashion-conscious students. Just six months in to his studies, Suzuki dropped out of Saitama university and headed for the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, without the blessing or support from his parents. Suzuki worked night shifts at a printing company to raise the money to get into Vantan Design Institute, where he went on to study fashion.

 

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Shortly after graduating from Vantan, Suzuki landed a job at a store run by Union Square, where he met Keizo Shimizu, the Japanese Bunka Fashion College graduate who would go on to found Nepenthes. After briefly leaving Union Square, Suzuki was invited to work at Redwood, Shimizu’s first brick-and-mortar store. Brimming with Americana clothing and decor, Redwood was the perfect place for Suzuki to learn about the intricacies of American clothing.

 

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Shimizu went on to found Nepenthes in 1988, leaving Suzuki to travel to America to gain first hand experience of American life. Shortly after his return, Suzuki contacted Shimizu and successfully joined Nepenthes as a buyer. He would raid sneaker and army surplus stores in Boston for goods to ship back to Nepenthes, but Suzuki eventually moved to New York where he could liaise with manufacturers and buy from up and coming brands that would fit into Nepenthes Stores. He explains,

That was the reason I began buying from up-and-coming designer brands in the U.S. I thought it would be also good to handle clothes that attracted us only by how it looked as it has different charm from classic masterpieces. It was quite a new idea for NEPENTHES and no other shops in Japan bought things in that way at that time.

By the late nineties, Nepenthes had opened two stores in the U.S., first in San Francisco (1994) and then in New York (1998). Shimizu and Suzuki agreed to cease the re-sale of surplus and factory store clothing and all Nepenthes locations were stocked with original, in-house-made goods under the labels Needles and Nepenthes or Nepenthes New York. Needles was initially named HOGGS and branded with a pig logo, but a copyright dispute led to the re-branding of this label as Needles – the brand known today for its avant-garde, re-imagined Americana clothing.

With the Nepenthes structure and philosophy well in pace, Suzuki – armed with a wealth of retail and buying knowledge – embarked on his own design venture and founded Engineered Garments. Nepenthes had been putting out small collections of clothes under the Engineered Garments label since 1999, but 2002 saw Suzuki’s first full collection promoted by Nepenthes.

 

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Suzuki initially conceived Engineered Garments as American-made clothing based on his inspirations and personal taste. With American clothing as his core influence, Suzuki is mindful to not produce strict recreations of old garments and looks to strip down designs and rebuild them with his vision and concept of how the garment should be engineered. New York is at the heart of the brand and Suzuki tries to ensure all production happens in the city’s garment district:

Since it became really hard to find American made products and I couldn’t find any clothes I wanted, I thought I should make those by my own. That’s the reason I established a brand. Although the reason had motivated me for a long time, now we can find clothes made in the U.S. and products I really love. So I have to lift me up with a different type of motivation.

Engineered Garments Today

 

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Engineered Garments has enjoyed sixteen successful years since its conception, and the label is now stocked in selected retailers across the globe. Still under the Nepenthes umbrella which has multiple stores in Japan and a New York location, Engineered Garments also has a dedicated brick-and-mortar store in Tokyo. Daiki Suzuki was appointed head designer of Woolrich Woolen Mills in 2006, and his work saw him awarded with the GQ/CFDA Best New Menswear Designers in America Award.

 

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Often praised for its well rounded ‘Japanese new Americana’ aesthetic, Engineered Garments is known for its fatigue and cargo pants, shirting, workwear, and blazer-style jackets that come in a wide range of fabrics each season. In addition to the Engineered Garments mainline, Suzuki has conceived two sub labels:  Engineered Garments FWK (for women) and Engineered Garments Workday, a label that chiefly produces heritage workwear-inspired pieces.

 

Iconic Engineered Garments Products

 

Bedford Jacket

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Seen here in a, 7.5 oz. dark heather grey twill, the Bedford Jacket is arguably Engineered Garments calling card. Based on heritage sportswear jackets, the Bedford features removable three button construction and four exterior patch pockets. As one of Engineered Garment’s key products, the Bedford jacket is released each season in a variety of fabrics and colors.

 

19th Century Button Down Shirt

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Another mainstay from Engineered Garments is the 19th Century Button Down Shirt – another piece that is released seasonally in a range of fabrics. Seen here in dark grey brushed Glen plaid, this shirt features a three-quarter button placket and a curved hem. In addition, each piece features a patch chest pocket and a button-down collar.

 

CPO Shirt Jacket

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A reworked military classic, the CPO Shirt is another tried and tested piece released each year by Engineered Garments in a collection of colors and fabrics.  Featuring snap closures throughout, a corduroy lined collar, and four external patch pockets – three on the torso and one on the arm – this edition is made from a durable 50/50 cotton to nylon olive ripstop.

 

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A Halcyon Existence: The Legacy and Longevity of “Popeye” Magazine

found on Grailed

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Popeye magazine did something that few other publications can do: last summer, the Japanese men’s fashion and lifestyle magazine celebrated its 40th birthday, a feat for an age where print magazines increasingly seem to be relics of the past. Granted, Popeye had been floundering for a few years until the appointment of current Editor-in-Chief Takahiro Kinoshita in 2012 brought about rejuvenation and a redesign. The decision to save Popeye over shuttering it can perhaps be partially credited to Japan’s centuries-old culture of print, but the longevity of the magazine is undoubtedly a testimony to its profound influence on defining both menswear and masculinity in Japan, as well as its sartorial appeal that stretches beyond domestic borders.

 

The first issue, released in July of 1976, featured the fashion and daily rituals of Los Angelites—a topic that seems mundane in today’s hyperglobalized world and even dry when held up against some of the magazine’s more whimsical issue themes, such as August 2017’s concept “I wonder why I like curry so much.” Yet, for the young men of 1970s Japan, Popeye magazine was a portal into a glossy world filled with skateboarding, palm trees and Nike kicks. Each colorful, collage-filled page offered a brief relapse from the reality of a bursting postwar economic bubble and global oil crises and a bleak future of following their fathers into monotonous office work. “In Los Angeles, people looked happy and cheerful,” Yoshihisa Kinameri, Popeye’s original editor, told the Los Angeles Times. “It was magical; it was like heaven.”

 

The success of Popeye’s Los Angeles-flavored debut would lead to a flurry of other city guides covering metropolises like Tokyo, Kyoto, London, Brooklyn and Portland over the decades, but the publication’s identity as a “Magazine for City Boys” was focused less on accumulating urban readership and more on defining a new modern mindset for young men in a time of societal upheaval. In the 1980s and 1990s, young men became disillusioned with the salaryman ideal as full-time, long-term employment became hard to come by. ‘Salarymen’ refers to the stereotype of white-collar, suit-donning male office workers that traded steadfast corporate loyalty in exchange for lifelong employment and seniority-based promotions. While the workaholic salaryman was initially lauded as a masculine symbol of diligence and self-sacrifice that supported both family and society, the term quickly took a derogatory turn as the children of salarymen grew up with absentee fathers and career anxiety.

 

As a new generation sought out to redefine masculinity by their own terms, numerous men’s fashion magazines began to crop up with Popeye as one of the industry’s leading voices. In her thesis on masculinities in Japan, Barbara Németh found that while Western men’s magazines focused on topics such as sex, cars, sports and alcohol, Japanese men’s magazines are “more focused on a sense of self-reliance through style and aesthetics” that establish “ideal conditions for young men in which they can express their individuality and dress fashionably for their own benefit first.”

 

Popeye was one of the first Japanese men’s magazines to extensively feature and discuss fashion, and it did so with a global lens. The magazine’s early years spent scouring California and soaking up elements of surf and skate fashion eventually pivoted to the broader genres of ‘American casual’ and ‘traditional British’ before once again relishing in domestic Japanese labels. Japan’s integration of American and European fashion trends eventually garnered a life of its own as Ametora, a mash-up of the Romanization for ‘American traditional.’ 


“Some of the significant items were Levi’s 501s, polo shirts from Ralph Lauren, Irish Setter boots from Red Wing, BD shirts from Brooks Brothers, baseball jackets from Skookum and US Army surplus M-65s,” current Editor-in-Chief Takahiro Kinoshita recalled in an interview with Inventory magazine about his own youth spent reading Popeye. “These are still very popular amongst Japanese people, just like back then.”

 

Ironically, Popeye and other Japanese men’s fashion magazines would become style bibles and historical garment archives for later generations of American men who wanted to get into fashion, becoming the foundation for the online resurgence of menswear in the late 2000s. “When American men wanted to look at pictures of Aldens or Red Wings back in 2007 or 2008, those pictures were in Japanese magazines,” W. David Marx, author of Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style, told GQ. “So I just think that when Americans became interested in their own heritage, the resources they needed to learn about it were in Japan.”

 

In a twist of fate, Popeye, a magazine intrinsically founded on escapism and idealization of life and fashion in America and Europe, became romanticized by young men outside of Japan. In late 2014, the London-based insight and strategy agency Flamingo published an open letter to Popeye, begging the magazine to never release English editions: “Not engaging with the writing in Popeye means I can imagine some unknowns for myself. I can imagine that the smart, modern, informal style of your fashion stories is mirrored in the tone of the features writing. I can imagine that the writers are sharply dressed flies on the wall of Tokyo youth culture: exploring shops and cafes by day, exploring discos by night. Filing copy as the sun rises. Nestled under the skin of the latest trends in how to wear brogues.” Popeye represents a halcyon existence in Tokyo, a city filled with trendy men fetching coffee in New Balances and taking their fresh-faced girlfriends on dates to hedgehog cafes—and frankly—a city far away from police brutality, election scandals, Brexit and online flame wars about the refugee crisis.

 

Ultimately, it’s the balance Popeye has struck between communicating the familiar and the exotic that has led to the magazine’s longevity and captured both Japanese and Western readers for generations. For the Japanese youth of yesteryear, it was the glimpse into a colorful lifestyle overseas. For Japanese youth today, it’s as simple as the smattering of English as decorative page elements, the frequent use of white and black models and the visual tours of global city boy life. For Western readers, it’s the entrancing page designs and, as Smithsonian so aptly put it, “an opportunity to consider our culture as refracted through a foreign and clarifying prism.” Trendy and carefree, aspirational without being unattainable or distasteful, impactful without striving to actively be so, Popeye unwittingly mastered the recipe for a global pop culture fixture.

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An Interview with the Guys from Norse Projects

from Oi Polloi

 

I don’t mean to dispute the natural law of time, but it’s hard to believe that 2009 was a full ten years ago. Was it really a decade since Eminem’s stone cold classic ‘Crack a Bottle’ hit the airwaves?

Perhaps more startling than that astonishing realisation is that 2019 also marks ten years since a little shop in in Copenhagen by the name of Norse Projects went from occasionally making caps and t-shirts, to become a fully-fledged clothing company responsible for making the kinds of well-made, no-nonsense garments that were nigh-on impossible to find at the time.

And as the world continues to spin on its axis, Norse Projects keep on making mighty fine clothes.

With the dust settled on our recent collaboration, I talked with a few of the founders, Tobia and Mikkel, about growing up in Denmark and how they got into making clothes… 

 

Sam: Starting right at the beginning, what were you lot into as kids? It seems like a lot of that stuff can influence what people do later in life. 

 

Mikkel: As a child I was very drawn to drawing and making ceramics. My mother always wanted to be an artist but ended up in insurance — she was sewing her own dresses and making ceramics in the evening so she was always pushing me into doing creative work. In 1985, at the age of ten, my neighbor brought home a penny board from a trip to Los Angeles. This was my first experience with skateboarding — an experience that led me to growing up as an active part of the Danish skateboard scene. 

Around the same time, subway art and Danish wild-style came out in Copenhagen. I grew up just behind one of the famous graffiti spots and noticed new pieces being made, which led me to start doing more alphabet focused drawings. That led into making sketches and later becoming an active writer in all senses. 

Tobia: My mom was an architect from Italy and moved to Denmark as she met my Danish father, whom at the time was a studio manager for the furniture designer, Verner Panton in France. My dad saw the ‘60s movement coming and ended up working as a design consultant for the Milan School for Interior Design. 

 

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Sam: Were clothes a part of this at all, or did that come later? What stuff were you wearing when you were growing up?  

 

Mikkel: In the early days, it was all based around skateboard brands such as Powell Perelta, Zorlac, Alva, Vision Street Wear, Thrasher, Gordon and Smith and H-Street, all styled with footwear like NikeJordan 1s, Converse All-Stars, Adidas Superstars and Airwalks.

Tobia: I grew up in the country as a hippie kid. Levis and adidas were the main brands at the time, but I wasn’t really into clothing. That came later when I opened my first skateboard store in Paris, Street Machine.

 

Sam: I didn’t know you were involved with that. Street Machine was pretty early for mixing different things beyond just skate-stuff. Where did that idea come from? 

 

Tobia: Street Machine was a curated mix of new generation skateboard brands, mixed with iconic function-based brands like North Face, Spiewak and Carhartt, and then creative graphically oriented brands such as Fresh Jive — along with the occasional mix of vintage sneakers and other finds. 

At the time it was all about American culture and the curation process. It was hard to find brands that aligned with our culture and most brands felt old or irrelevant, so we created our own mix. 

 

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Sam: In England growing up in the 90s it seemed like everyone was trying to copy American stuff – whether it was wearing the clothes or listening to the music. Would you say that was similar for you lot growing up in Denmark? What were the main influences back then? 

 

Mikkel: I think America always had a big impact on growing up as a skateboarder. Most of the brands were from there and so were the skaters I looked up to. At first it was more the Californian style that had the biggest impact, but later on the East Coast style with heavy references to hip-hop culture, workwear and outerwear was the main source of inspiration. 

Tobia: American culture was definitely a big thing, mainly music. As a hippie kid it was all about ‘60s and ‘70s music. To some extent this is still my main period of interest, whether it’s graphic design, architecture, clothing, furniture or outdoor-inspired gear; so much happened in the 60s and to this day it’s the most innovative period we have had. 

 

Sam: Jumping forward a bit, how did Norse Projects come about? Am I right in saying it was linked to an art gallery or something? 

 

Tobia: I met Mikkel and Anton while at Street Machine in Copenhagen. Anton was skating for our team and he and Mikkel had started a little company called Castle CPH. It was a cool project with five-panel hats made in the US out of the original Supreme factory. 

Anton and Mikkel asked me to join them, but as we started talking, we saw the opportunity to realize a dream of mine to recreate a modern day sportswear company in the spirit of Nordic functionalism and international cool. 

We then decided that we needed a name that was linked to our heritage, yet allowed us to incorporate our creative spirit and eclectic interests within skateboarding, the arts, design, innovation and other areas. 

Mikkel: The gallery came along as the location we found had a basement that didn't really work as a retail space, so we turned it into a gallery when opening up in 2004. When Norse opened in 2004, we hosted the launch of Martha Cooper’s book, Hip Hop Files

 

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Sam: Was there a ‘defining moment’ that started you lot off making clothes? 

 

Mikkel: Norse Projects launched its first wholesale line in fall 2009. After realizing that most Japanese brands were very expensive to import and most of the American brands were very bad quality, we decided to turn Norse Projects into more than just tees and caps and into a full brand. 

Tobia: Californian brands were good at being cool, but the quality often sucked. In response, I initially sought to get a license for Stüssy for the European market to create a European sourced premium line, but this ultimately failed as the Americans considered the market would be too small. 

A few months later I met Mikkel and Anton and that’s how the idea for Norse was spawned.

It would take us a few years before we managed to really focus on the apparel as the first years were occupied with the store and the art gallery. 

Finally, we realized we needed to hire an experienced designer and focus on production to get the project of the ground in earnest. 

 

Sam: What was stuff like in Denmark like back then? What were you wanting to do differently? 

 

Tobia: Japanese brands were definitely the inspiration, yet many of the Japanese brands were over-designed, with too many details and very expensive. We wanted to focus on aesthetics rather than design and use simplicity as a design handle to express our point of view. 

The focus for Norse has always been materials, simplicity and functionality. The inspiration was Nordic-inspired sportswear, with a focus on Fair Isle jumpers, military and workwear-based materials. 

The first collections were about mixing vintage military with creative graphic design. I remember a series of t-shirts with prints based on some slides of beautiful blondes in a certain state Mikkel found behind the radiator of the V1 Gallery. 

 

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Sam: Sounds interesting. It sometimes seems like the word ‘Scandinavian’ can be shorthand for a lot of things to do with design, and usually relates to clean, well thought-out stuff. Do you think a true ‘Scandinavian’ design style still exists? 

 

Tobia: Definitely. The Nordic way of life is still very different to many other places I’ve visited. As a Scandinavian, you grow up learning the merits of ‘good values’ such as being social, empathetic, and looking at the long term. 

Denmark and the Nordic societies were heavily influenced by the idea of a ‘society for all’ and the values tied to that vision. This was communicated through social programs, which in turn spawned most of the influential designers and architects we have had since the ‘30s. 

The interesting thing is that those architects and designers initially found inspiration in old Japanese architecture and Zen philosophy and how that circles back to how we are influenced by Japanese and their take on western culture and clothing.

 

Sam: Yeah – it’s strange how everything seems to go in circles. What do you look at for inspiration? Do you lot have a big archive of vintage clothes or anything like that, or does a lot of it come from messing around with computers and trying out new things? 

 

Tobia: Inspiration comes from being curious and aware. As a company of creative people, we’re part of a greater community of like-minded people running and curating independent stores each with their own particular point of view — we all put parts of ourselves into it — it’s very personal. 

Surviving as an independent operator is all about your particular point of view and using your passion to create a space that can create its own community and differentiate itself from the masses and mainstream culture. 

Working with Oi Polloi is one such collaboration where we feel there is a great fit between the focus on vintage sportswear and the culture around it, and our own interests in modern functionality and design. 

I still feel that the very first collaboration with Oi Polloi based on the film The Heroes of Telemark was one of our best collaborations to date as it expressed a perfect unity between our common values and culture. The Kyrk knit (inspired by Kirk Douglas in the film) is a Norse classic to this day! 

 

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Sam: I’ve never made an item of clothing, so I’m pretty clueless on this sort of thing, but how do you go about designing something like a new jacket from scratch? 

 

Tobia: It’s a pretty complex process. With the fabric, the treatments, all the trim and techniques that go into making a quality outerwear garment, it’s basically a complex piece of engineering — especially if you want to do something really great. 

Making jackets with the likes of Gore for example is basically an 18-24 month process from end to end. 

 

Sam: You lot make everything from Gore-Tex jackets to Fair Isle knits. Are there items Norse Projects wouldn’t make? 

 

Tobia: Never say never. We like to experiment, but we would never make something that didn’t embody our core values of quality, function and style. These are the tenets we live by and are the guiding principles which inform most of our design decisions. 

 

Sam: Rounding this off now, have you got any nice words of wisdom to finish this off? 

 

Tobia: There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

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This Leonardo DiCaprio Look is Still His Best Ever, Meet the Costume Designer Behind It

 

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When crafting outfits for movies, the primary goal is to elevate the character, make their existence believable, and to make the clothing a part of a character’s persona rather than separate to it.

That’s the simulated reality Hollywood costume designer Kym Barrett has dedicated the last two decades to honing, which is why she tends not to be at the forefront of a movie’s hype, no matter how memorable and iconic her designs are. But while you might not know her name, you’ve definitely seen her work.

Since 1996, the Australian designer has worked on Baz Luhrmann’s Leonardo DiCaprio-starring Romeo + Juliet, The Matrix franchise, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Nice Guys, The Shallows, and Aquaman, to name just a few.

And she’s just added another sure-fire hit to an already impressive resumé, creating the wardrobe for Jordan Peele‘s upcoming Get Out follow-up Us. Watch the trailer below.

 

A psychological horror, Us tells the story of a family terrorized by their own doppelgängers. As you can see from the trailer, the film is set to deliver an epic dose of harrowing mindfuckery, diving further into personal trauma and societal issues than you likely want to go. Which is why it looks to be a must-see of 2019.

 

We sat down with Barrett to discuss how wardrobe choices help set the tone in horror films and how she teased narrative cues into the outfits of Us‘ characters, as well as discussing the resurgence of Matrix-inspired trends and the story behind DiCaprio’s Hawaiian shirt in Romeo + Juliet.

 

Can you explain the concept behind the wardrobe in Us, specifically how you focused on ideas around contrast and duality?

I should start by talking about the broad scope of the design. I think part of the horror in the situation is the idea that anything can happen to anyone at any given time. It’s important that we believe that the characters are just like us. It’s a study in what happens when you confront these kinds of dualities.

I worked with Ruth De Jong, the production designer, and of course with lighting. I wanted there to be a sense that light emerges from the darkness, and recedes into the darkness, like a kind of a heartbeat. A story heartbeat. [So] there’s a balance, a yin and yang between light and shade.

 

From what we’ve seen in the trailers, there are quite a few narrative nods in the outfits: white rabbit prints, Howard University sweaters, the Michael Jackson Thriller T-shirt, the tuxedo top. Do you purposefully tease plot lines through the clothing?

 

Yeah, I like to put a little spell into the clothes just so people notice some of the things that other people don’t notice. But it’s a very subconscious narrative and it’s hard because you haven’t seen the movie yet. There are plenty of references, not just from the costumes but throughout the whole movie that make it a kind of jukebox.

How does wardrobe help set the tone in horror movies?

Well, this is my first horror movie, so it was kind of a different approach for me. My job is to help the actors create character, and you really shouldn’t be noticing the costumes that much as you go through the story. We don’t want to bang anyone over the head about anything, so I think it’s the anticipation and the mystery of things you don’t know and you won’t know until you finish the movie.

 

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How do you feel about the resurrection of The Matrix-inspired fashion, such as long black leather coats and tiny sunglasses? Or rather, how do you feel about a look you created 20 years ago still being an inspiration for trends today?

I love it that people still can connect to it. I think that part of it, too, is that the movie still resonates. The characters were from a really diverse group of cultures and they tapped into a whole other kind of world that ventured into machines taking over and the resistance. I think now that’s resonating because that’s what’s happening now. I think subconsciously that’s why people also maybe connect to it now.

The story is universal and it’s a question that people have always asked. Is this all there is? Is there another reality? Is there another realm? I think that’s kind of an ancient set of questions that were framed into a more modern context and storyline. The references that I put into The Matrix were really akin to those things.

Neo’s cape coat is always a good example. It’s very similar to an ancient Chinese robe and it’s also similar to a Catholic priest’s capping. And because Keanu [Reeves] looks great in it, and could move in it, and can fight in it, so therefore it gets its own identity as a sort of fashion iconography of that time.

Were there symbolic references in Leonardo DiCaprio’s Romeo + Juliet shirt, too?

Well, I think that you [need to] look at these other guys in Hawaiian shirts, too. Leonardo’s, in a sense, is referencing flowers at the funeral. The hope that he carries when he’s in the desert, where there’s nothing — nothing green, nothing growing — it’s a symbol [of] something better. Whereas the other guys had violence and guns mixed in [to the design].

 

Did you get the fabric specially made for those shirts?

Yeah, we designed them. I had wonderful artists in Mexico City, which is where we shot much of the film, hand-painting. In that time, there were police on the sidewalk with machine guns and bulletproof vests. You walk through the streets and there will be a really, really rich house, and then across the street, there will be some people crouching in the corner but they’re drawing a beautiful chalk flower bouquet on the pavement with candles around it.

One of the things I really love about my job is that it’s rare that I work in LA. I’m in different countries with different cultural, artistic talents. So before I finalize any design, I try to really mine the people around me and ask them to be a part of the creation process. I think that if you didn’t know I was in Mexico City, you’d still feel it.

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Luxury Brands Are Finally Learning How to Speak Streetwear Their Own Way

 

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It’s been five weeks since men’s fashion month kicked off in London and with the exception of Burberry, Gucci and Balenciaga — each have opted for co-ed shows presented during the upcoming women’s fashion month — another men’s season has drawn to a close.

The most evident shift could be observed in the transition from dominant streetwear silhouettes to a new sense of tailoring as seen at Louis Vuitton, Dior Homme and Prada. After all, the same young men who in recent seasons have been parading down the runways in sneakers, technical outerwear and oversized everything are growing up. And so it wasn’t surprising that a number of fashion publications were quick to shout that streetwear is passé, over, done. But it’s not. Streetwear as luxury brands have made it out to be is evolving, and that’s a good thing for everyone.

Ever since the early days of subversive subcultural movements in the 1970s, young surfers and skaters have gravitated towards garments expressing individuality and comfort, while also serving as sartorial emblems that signify being part of a specific tribe, often an international community of like-minded youngsters with a lifestyle encompassing similar tastes in fashion, music and art, and political beliefs.

 

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Wearing Stüssy T-shirts and later FUBU sweatshirts weren’t just status symbols, they were physical tokens of belonging. These brands never made just clothing. They made clothing with meaning.

Still, major luxury houses remained dismissive of the growing cultural power of street culture, deeming it brand diluting. It took a number of forward-thinking designers to cross-pollinate the two once thought of as opposites by sending their luxury versions of banal streetwear items down the Paris runways — think Riccardo Tisci’s Fall/Winter 2011 “Rottweiler” collection for Givenchy, Balenciaga’s “Join a Weird Trip” sweatshirts designed by Nicholas Ghesquière for Fall/Winter 2012 and Céline’s beige rendition of the Air Force 1s for Fall/Winter 2014 under the helm of Phoebe Philo.

By 2015, every luxury house, big or small, had created their indistinguishable take on the white, minimal sneaker inspired by adidas’ Stan Smith and Superstar models. It was as much of a safe entrance into this new phenomenon called “athleisure” and its closely-knit ties to streetwear, as it was a response to the casualization of the way people were starting to dress. Nothing innovative there.

January 2017 was a turning point when Louis Vuitton’s artistic director Kim Jones launched a full-ranged collaboration with Supreme for the house’s Fall/Winter 2017 season. That same month, Demna Gvasalia debuted Balenciaga’s chunky Triple S sneaker — designed by footwear legend David Tourniaire-Beauciel, and inspired by retro Nike and New balance models — prompting instant consumer hysteria.

 

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For the first time, it was luxury, not streetwear, dictating the consumption behavior of young shoppers when it came to sneakers. Streetwear, sportswear and other luxury brands followed suit with a thousand and one versions of the “dad” sneaker and by the time Virgil Abloh debuted his first collection as artistic director of Louis Vuitton and Kim Jones at Dior Homme in June 2018, that same luxury influence on youth culture had transcended beyond sneakers alone.

It isn’t hard to understand why premium brands want to court younger audiences. By 2025, 45 percent of the luxury market is set to be made up of Gen Z and Millennials, while these generations combined resulted in 85 percent of all luxury growth in 2017.

In part, the new luxury consumer is starting to respond to luxury’s efforts towards streetwear. Mainly because of luxury’s new guard, including Virgil Abloh, Kim Jones and their more emerging peers Matthew Williams, Samuel Ross, Heron Preston and Jerry Lorenzo, who clearly understand that streetwear is about more than simply appropriating literal street style cues like graphic hoodies, oversized outerwear and sporty sneakers. Instead, the direction they’re taking us into isn’t streetwear as we know it.

 

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As Virgil Abloh worded it in the show notes for his latest Michael Jackson-inspired Fall/Winter 2019 collection: “[Streetwear’s] sportswear properties are undergoing a critical transformation into luxury.”

Indeed, streetwear, as it was presented in the past Fall/Winter 2019 men’s season, is a first glimpse around how luxury brands will cater to young consumers in terms of design in the near future. Colorful, relaxed tailoring — not in the Saville Row way — paired with formal shoe-sneaker hybrids and a fresh take on leather goods made relevant to a younger generation through innovative hardware and prints is exactly what will get the new luxury consumer excited, especially when done by designers close to the culture.

Designers without direct ties to street culture equally succeeded this season, by using fabrics, creating silhouettes and authentically partnering with aspirational brands and figures with roots in youth culture like Fendi x Porter, Dior Homme x Matthew Williams and Valentino x UNDERCOVER.

 

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The new way of working was reflected by Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli after his latest show in Paris. “I’m not going to say that streetwear is over, I don’t think so,” he told Highsnobiety. “It’s about rethinking the values of sartorialism, but with a more streetwear approach. So less effort and more relaxed. That’s the only way for me.”

But while luxury brands are finally learning how to speak the language of streetwear their own way, the majority still have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to the main component that makes kids around the world line up for hours each week to buy the newest drop and the hours spent on forums and Facebook groups.

For younger generations luxury no longer means exclusivity or high price-points. Instead, having access, being value-driven and buying into a tribe is what makes them tick. Without those elements, hyped clothing without any cultural credibility won’t be enough to buoy young shoppers going forward. As mentioned in Highsnobiety’s first white paper, 85 percent of those interviewed believe that what their clothes represent is just as important as its quality or design.

Luxury brands need to learn how to speak through this new luxury audience, not to them. Streetwear as we knew it in past seasons isn’t necessarily streetwear anymore, yet counterculture, and its interconnected sense of dressing, will be around forever in whatever form that may take, be it hoodies today or tailoring tomorrow.

And until luxury brands crack that code, step down from their ivory tower and let in the people they’re designing for, they’ll always be one step behind where youth culture is truly playing out.

 

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10 Years of Technical Excellence: Arc'teryx Veilance's Taka Kasuga

 

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“It’s more of an evolution than a revolution,” Taka Kasuga explains, walking through Veilance‘s Fall/Winter 2019 collection. Rows of technical garments are displayed by color, emphasizing a concise selection earthy tones informed by Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky.

Kasuga has been with the company for just over three-and-a-half years, joining the primarily-utilitarian Arc’teryx brand after putting in work as a freelance design consultant and designer for Junya Watanabe of COMME des GARÇONS. He’s quiet but intelligent and gets excited when explaining technical detailing, a cornerstone of the Arc’teryx brand.

 

Veilance (formerly known as Arc’teryx Veilance) is the outdoor-focused company’s fashion-forward branch, launched a mere 30 years after Arc’teryx’s forerunner, Rock Solid, was established in 1989. Though FW19 marks a decade of the brand’s progressive designs, Kasuga insists that this collection isn’t necessarily a celebration.

 

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“We’re doing what we always do,” he shrugs, smiling. ”We’re slightly improving our core gear, making it better every year.” Kasuga lifts one of Veilance’s new designs, the Euler IS coat, from its display hook. Unlike the brand’s signature Monitor coat, which boasts heavy-duty GORE-TEX Pro, the Euler is lined with one of the Gore company’s newest creations: GORE-TEX Infinium.

Infinium represents the core ideals of Veilance itself: it delivers a variety of technical specs in a highly versatile package. Unlike GORE-TEX Pro, Infinium is comparably more dextrous and arguably more comfortable in mild climates because it breathes better. The downside is that it’s not fully waterproof, but with the Euler’s lightweight shell, tall neck and alternate form (it’s also offered as a shorter jacket), this isn’t a merely jacket for climbing mountains — the Euler, in-line with its Infinium lining, is extremely flexible, transitioning from hiking excursions to offices with ease. This fluidity underlines Veilance’s close relationship with Gore; indeed, it informs all of Kasuga’s designs.

 

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“It’s more of an evolution than a revolution,” Taka Kasuga explains, walking through Veilance‘s Fall/Winter 2019 collection. Rows of technical garments are displayed by color, emphasizing a concise selection earthy tones informed by Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky.

Kasuga has been with the company for just over three-and-a-half years, joining the primarily-utilitarian Arc’teryx brand after putting in work as a freelance design consultant and designer for Junya Watanabe of COMME des GARÇONS. He’s quiet but intelligent and gets excited when explaining technical detailing, a cornerstone of the Arc’teryx brand.

 

Veilance (formerly known as Arc’teryx Veilance) is the outdoor-focused company’s fashion-forward branch, launched a mere 30 years after Arc’teryx’s forerunner, Rock Solid, was established in 1989. Though FW19 marks a decade of the brand’s progressive designs, Kasuga insists that this collection isn’t necessarily a celebration.

“We definitely don’t worry about trends”

 

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“We’re doing what we always do,” he shrugs, smiling. ”We’re slightly improving our core gear, making it better every year.” Kasuga lifts one of Veilance’s new designs, the Euler IS coat, from its display hook. Unlike the brand’s signature Monitor coat, which boasts heavy-duty GORE-TEX Pro, the Euler is lined with one of the Gore company’s newest creations: GORE-TEX Infinium.

Infinium represents the core ideals of Veilance itself: it delivers a variety of technical specs in a highly versatile package. Unlike GORE-TEX Pro, Infinium is comparably more dextrous and arguably more comfortable in mild climates because it breathes better. The downside is that it’s not fully waterproof, but with the Euler’s lightweight shell, tall neck and alternate form (it’s also offered as a shorter jacket), this isn’t a merely jacket for climbing mountains — the Euler, in-line with its Infinium lining, is extremely flexible, transitioning from hiking excursions to offices with ease. This fluidity underlines Veilance’s close relationship with Gore; indeed, it informs all of Kasuga’s designs.

 

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He gestures at the sleek wearables hanging on the racks behind him. “We really want to push the idea of modular layering, where you wear the same things throughout the year but add and remove clothes as the weather changes. We’re offering the complete package.” Innovation comes in many forms, like the Conduit AR jacket, a flurry-ready update to Veilance’s classic LT jacket that’s equally suited as a liner for the Euler or a stand-alone layer. Then, there’s the Dinitz fleece, a technical modernization of the cozy staple that comes in both crewneck and jacket variants.

“I’m actually wearing [the Dinitz] myself,” Kasuga says brushing a hand across his subtly-fluffed sweater. As for the jeans? “We’re working on some engineered denim right now,” he grins. “These are just a prototype, but they might end up something like this.” Kasuga’s laid-back approach to personal style belies his passion for utilitarian clothing. This passion informs the subtle details that make each item in the collection feel personal, bestowing a sense of intimacy uncommon in technical clothing.

 

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“Yeah, I don’t usually think about [terms like] techwear,” Kasuga concedes. “The people I can see wearing Veilance … [appreciate] clean lines and want to stay protected in weather.” Veilance clients care about that delicate line that runs between function and fashion, unwilling to compromise practical details for the sake of trends. “We definitely don’t worry about trends,” he laughs.

Veilance’s complete wardrobe includes essentials like sweat-wicking merino wool base layers and the lightweight Nomin pack, completely secured against inclimate weather thanks to its WaterTight zippers and taped seams. Its signature Blazer LT and Voronoi trousers return for FW19 in thematic colors, loaded with snug pockets and body-sensitive seams.

“The body articulation is important,” Kasuga insists. “Our clothes should feel like a second skin. When you lift your arm or move your leg, the clothes should move with you.” Dynamic pattern-making yields trim cuts flatter the human form without restricting it, with clever use of technical textiles — read: plenty of GORE-TEX — to warm the wearer without resorting to mummy-like layers.

 

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Technical clothing often resists easy categorization, as certain functionalities are better suited to rugged treks and other details are more appropriate for urban wear; Veilance draws from the former to deliver silhouettes more in line with the latter. “We want people to wear our clothes,” insists Kasuga. An appreciably everyman attitude underlines Veilance’s designs — if the everyman was a slick, stylish businessman from the future. Still, Kasuga’s penchant for whetting away unnecessary facets so as to highlight each garment’s core merits generates all-purpose clothing that doesn’t demand a knowledge of technical jargon to appreciate. This is Veilance’s true strength: crafting clothing that whispers, instead of screams. Discreetly technical, objectively stylish.

 

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Take a Look at All the Collections From Moncler Genius's "One House, Different Voices" Project

 

0 MONCLER RICHARD QUINN

 

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1 MONCLER PIERPAOLO PICCIOLI

 

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2 MONCLER 1952

 

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3 MONCLER GRENOBLE

 

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4 MONCLER SIMONE ROCHA

 

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5 MONCLER CRAIG GREEN

 

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6 MONCLER 1017 ALYX 9SM MATTHEW WILLIAMS

 

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7 MONCLER FRAGMENT HIROSHI FUJIWARA

 

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8 MONCLER PALM ANGELS FRANCESCO RAGAZZI

 

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5 Things You Need to Know About Chanel’s New Creative Director Virginie Viard

 

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Earlier today, Chanel announced that Virginie Viard will replace Karl Lagerfeld as creative director for the luxury French fashion house.

A close friend of the late designer, Viard has been under Lagerfeld’s wing for over three decades, described by many as his right-hand-woman, his protégé, and dear friend. She appeared alongside him as he closed his Spring/Summer 2019 show last year and represented him when he was feeling too tired to take a bow after what was his final couture show this January.

Yet despite emerging alongside Lagerfeld in  tfront of the entire fashion world, Viard remains something of an enigma. So, as she readies herself to step into Lagerfeld’s immaculately-polished shoes at the head of the house, we round up everything you need to know about Chanel’s new creative director, Virginie Viard.

 

Viard started out at Chanel as an intern

 

In 1987, four years after Lagerfeld was appointed as creative director in ’83, the chamberlain to Prince Rainer of Monaco recommended Viard for a position at Chanel. She subsequently joined the crew as a haute-couture embroidery intern, and so started a 32-year-long relationship with Chanel and with Lagerfeld.

 

She worked with Lagerfeld at Chloé before returning with him to Chanel

 

Evidentially impressed with her work, she grew to become something of Lagerfeld’s protégé; he kept her by his side during a five-year stint at Chloé (’92-’97), before bringing her back to Chanel and appointing her as haute couture coordinator. In 2000, she began to oversee ready-to-wear.

She told French magazine Crash, “When Karl took over Chloé, I followed him and worked there for five years. I didn’t really notice a difference, since I was still just working with Karl.”

 

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Their relationship wasn’t just professional

 

Lagerfeld and Viard’s relationship wasn’t all fabric selections and atelier meetings, however. Over the years the pair grew close, with Lagerfeld explaining during Netflix’s 7 Days Out documentary series, “Virginie is the most important person, not only for me but also for the atelier, for everything. She is my right arm and even if I don’t see her, we are on the phone all the time.”

What Lagerfeld did not divulge to Netflix, however, is that sometimes he would text Viard pretending to be his cat, Choupette. She revealed during an interview with W Magazine, “He signs them, Your Choupette,” she said before adding, “He might not like that I’m saying this.”

 

Viard has designed costume for film

 

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The granddaughter of silk manufacturers, Viard has always been intrigued by fashion but, she as told Crash magazine her original plan was to make theater costumes. She started out as a wardrobe assistant, working on several films and plays including ’93’s French drama Thee Colors: Blue starring Juliette Binoche, and ’94’s French-Polish comedy-drama Three Colors: White, both of which were directed by Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski.

 

Fashion is not her inspiration

 

Lagerfeld once said that fashion is a reflection of our lives and times, and it would seem that Viard takes a similar stance. She cites her son (specifically, her son doing his homework), music, theater, her partner, and exhibitions as just some of the non-industry inspirations that influence her work.

In the same Crash interview she explained, “I keep an eye on fashion, but it’s not what inspires me.” Rather, the way she designs is mostly intuitive. “I feel like I’m working the same way I did twenty years ago. And everything goes along smoothly because, above all, our studio is about teamwork. I don’t feel like I’m a “Director.”

What’s more, it doesn’t seem as though ego will have much of a place in her atelier. “Our hierarchy isn’t felt throughout the studio, it’s seamless. Though the teams do count on me, of course. There are never any conflicts. In the end, it’s Karl who looks at the outfits with the workshop leaders; I don’t even need to be there. It’s always he who has the last word.” That, however, is clearly about to change.

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